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Korea's operating room CCTV law: which clinics need cameras, how to ask for your surgery to be filmed, when a surgeon can refuse, and who sees the footage.
A camera on the ceiling is not a recording of your surgery. The law makes the clinic install the camera. It films your operation when you or your guardian ask, or when the clinic asks and you agree.1 If nobody asks, no footage has to exist. If you ask on the morning of surgery, the clinic may be allowed to say no.2
The rule is Article 38-2 of the Medical Service Act, added in 2021 and in force since 25 September 2023. The Ministry of Health and Welfare says its purpose is to prevent illegal acts inside operating rooms.1, 3 The article has not been amended since; it reads the same in the Act in force from 2 October 2026.1
For the wider checks on the surgeon, anesthesia, consent and refunds, see is plastic surgery in Korea safe? This guide goes deep on the camera.
| Rule | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Who must install | Any medical institution that operates on unconscious patients, such as under general anesthesia1 |
| Which operations | General anesthesia, or sedation ("sleep anesthesia") in which you cannot perceive, remember or express your wishes3 |
| The camera | High definition or better, the whole room with no blind spots, showing the patient and everyone taking part3 |
| When it films | On request, from the start of anesthesia until you leave the room1, 2 |
| Refusal | Only for listed reasons, explained to you before surgery1, 2 |
| Sound | Off, unless the patient and every participant consent1, 2 |
| Storage | At least 30 days from the day of filming1, 2 |
| Viewing or copies | Investigators and courts, the dispute agency after mediation starts, or everyone filmed consenting1 |
Summary of Medical Service Act Article 38-2 and its Enforcement Rule from Korea's National Law Information Center, checked October 2026. General education, not legal advice.
The clinic must tell patients in advance, for example with a posted notice, that surgery under general anesthesia can be filmed, and hand the request form to anyone who asks.2 Breaking the installation, filming or storage duty is punished by a criminal fine; releasing, leaking, altering or damaging footage, by up to five years in prison or a fine.3
Yes, if they operate on unconscious patients. The duty follows the kind of surgery, not the size of the building.1 When the ministry paid part of the installation cost, it named every clinic-level and hospital-level institution with that duty as eligible, so a small 의원 (clinic) is included.3
So the useful question is not "Are you big enough?" It is "What anesthesia will I have?"
If a clinic plans general anesthesia, or sedation that puts you under, and says it has no operating room camera, it is describing a legal duty it is not meeting.1, 3 Get that answer in writing and weigh it before any deposit. Where foreign patients can complain is in our safety guide.
In writing, on the clinic's form. The patient or guardian fills in the 수술 장면 촬영 요청서 (surgery filming request, Form 20-2) and gives it to the head of the clinic or medical staff, with an ID or a copy of it. A guardian also shows proof of the relationship and the patient's consent, unless the clinic confirms the patient cannot consent. A guardian cannot ask for filming against the wishes of a conscious patient who is able to decide.2
The law sets no deadline. The timing risk sits in the refusal list: a clinic may refuse a request made when filming would make it impossible to operate as scheduled, such as just before the operation starts.2, 3 The consultation is the natural moment: you are in the room and nothing has started.
Sound is a separate request. To record audio you add a second form (20-3), and the clinic must collect a written consent from everyone taking part (20-4). If someone who did not consent joins mid-operation, for example in an emergency, recording stops.2 Expect video without sound unless the whole team signs.
| Form | Korean name | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 20-2 | 수술 장면 촬영 요청서 | Your request to film the operation |
| 20-3 | 수술 장면 촬영 중 녹음 요청서 | Your request to record sound as well |
| 20-4 | 수술 장면 촬영 중 녹음 동의서 | Each participant's consent to sound |
| 20-5 | 영상정보 열람·제공 요청서, 영상정보 보관연장 요청서 | A request to view or copy footage, or to keep it longer |
| 20-6 | 영상정보 열람·제공 동의서 | Each person's consent to release |
Form numbers from the Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act2. The forms are in Korean; ask the clinic for the version it uses.
Photograph the completed form before you hand it over.
Only for listed reasons. The clinic must explain the reason before surgery and write it into a request log kept for three years.2
| Reason | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Emergency | Surgery on an emergency patient, where delay would endanger life or cause serious harm1, 2 |
| High-risk surgery | Surgery in the specialized disease groups used to designate tertiary hospitals, or on a patient whose disease threatens life or body function: per the ministry, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 3 or higher2, 3 |
| Resident training | At a training hospital, when the supervising specialist judges that filming would seriously hinder residents' training and records why1, 2 |
| Late request | A request made when filming would make it impossible to operate as scheduled, such as just before the start2, 3 |
| Force majeure | A natural disaster, a communication failure, an electronic attack or a similar event that makes filming impossible2 |
Refusal grounds under Medical Service Act Article 38-2(2) and Enforcement Rule Article 39-121, 2.
For a planned cosmetic operation, two rows matter most. The late-request row is yours to avoid. The health row depends on your history, so tell the doctor about long-term conditions at the consultation and ask whether your anesthesia assessment could lead to a refusal. "We don't usually film" is not on the list.
Fewer people than you might expect, for a shorter time. Outside three routes, the clinic head may not show the footage to anyone, hand over a copy, or watch it personally.1
So you cannot watch your own operation unless the whole team consents. A request goes on Form 20-5, with proof of the requester's authority or each person's consent. The clinic has 10 days to say how, by letter, email or text. It may refuse if documents are missing, or if the footage was deleted after the storage period or lost in a disaster.2 It may charge the cost, within limits the health minister sets.1, 3
The 30 days is the trap for a visitor. Footage is kept at least 30 days from the day of filming, then deleted on the schedule in the clinic's internal plan.1, 2 Once a viewing request arrives, it may not be deleted until the request is settled. To keep it longer, file Form 20-5 with documents showing that one of the three routes is being prepared; each extension buys up to 30 days and can be renewed.2, 3
If something seems wrong after surgery, act within the first weeks, not after the flight home. Our safety guide covers how foreign patients file with K-medi.
Korean law makes the consent form name the main operating doctor, and the clinic tell you in writing, with the reason, if that doctor or the method changes.4 The footage records who was actually in the room. Settle both in one sitting.
Questions for the consultation:
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| I want my surgery filmed on CCTV. | 수술 장면 CCTV 촬영을 요청합니다. |
| Please give me the filming request form. | 수술 장면 촬영 요청서를 주세요. |
| What anesthesia will I have? | 어떤 마취로 수술하나요? |
| How long do you keep the footage? | 영상은 언제까지 보관하나요? |
| I want the footage kept longer. | 영상 보관 연장을 요청하고 싶어요. |
Phrases for the consultation. An interpreter can help with the words; medical questions go to the operating doctor.
No. The law requires the camera, not a recording. The clinic films when you or your guardian ask, or when it asks and you agree.1
Yes, if they operate under general anesthesia, or sedation that puts you under. The ministry's installation subsidy named clinic-level institutions with the duty.3
At the consultation. A request made when filming would stop the operation going ahead as scheduled, such as just before it starts, can be refused.2
Not by default. Sound needs a separate request and the written consent of everyone taking part, and stops if someone who did not consent joins.2
Not on your own. The clinic may release footage only with the consent of everyone filmed, or to investigators, a court, or K-medi after mediation starts with your consent.1
No. The consent form still has to name the main operating doctor, and any change must be explained in writing.4 Read what you sign.
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This article is general education, not medical or legal advice. It prints no prices and names no clinics; nothing here is a Peep endorsement of any provider. The law is described from the official Korean text as of October 2026 and can change; the cited English translation is unofficial and older. Whether to have surgery, and under which anesthesia, is for the treating doctor, and the clinic's and doctor's instructions come first. For an emergency in Korea, call 119.
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